The digital divide remains stubbornly wide

Internet inclusion is not guaranteed. Because of the Internet’s power and reach in our lives, uneven access can compound existing social and economic inequalities. The latest edition of the Inclusive Internet Index reveals that progress on closing the digital divide between low-income countries and the rest of the world has stalled, reflecting slow growth in internet connections and 4G network coverage in the past year. However, the gender gap, which favors men’s internet access over that of women, continues to narrow. The index, compiled by The Economist Intelligence Unit and sponsored by Facebook, provides an international benchmark of internet inclusion across four categories: Availability, Affordability, Relevance, and Readiness. Its aim is to measure the extent to which internet use promotes positive social and economic outcomes.

• Growth in internet connections slowed in 2019, while a concerning divide is emerging between low-income countries and the rest. Among the 68 countries that were included in all three years of the index, the rate of growth in household internet connections slowed to 3% in 2019, from 8% in 2018. In low-income countries, expansion of internet connections was a mere 1%. This stands in marked contrast to 2018, when this latter group saw a 65% expansion in internet connections.

• While men still have higher rates of internet and mobile access than women, the gender gap is narrowing. Low-income and lower-middle-income countries are driving the change. There is a gender gap in internet access in favor of men in 84% of the countries in the 2019 index. This gap widened in high-income countries, to 4.3% more men than women having access, up from 3.5% in 2018. However, low-income and lower-middle-income countries actually drove progress overall.

• Connection quality has improved overall, driven mostly by lower-middle-income countries, but low-income nations are falling behind on 4G coverage. Low-income countries saw the share of population covered by 4G networks rise nearly four percentage points to 21%. In addition, mobile broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants grew by 0.3% this year globally, but low-income countries actually saw a decline of 2%.